Practice Areas

Land Use & Zoning Attorneys

The Land Use Attorney Group represents current and prospective landowners and lessees, ranging from international and domestic companies to private individuals, in a wide variety of real property, land use, and zoning matters before Federal, State, and local agencies and boards (especially in Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties), as well as in related litigation.

For many years, we have been formulating and advancing all types of land use proposals, including applications for change of zone; residential, commercial, and industrial subdivisions; use and area variances; residential, commercial, and industrial site plans; special exceptions and use permits; non-conforming uses; transfers of development rights (TDRs); and development permits for State and locally-designated wetlands, scenic and recreational river areas, and the Long Island Central Pine Barrens.

Our attorneys are skilled in all phases of the land use process, including strategic planning; assembly and coordination of development teams (including surveying, engineering, architectural, environmental, archaeological, land valuation, and other land use professionals); community and municipal outreach; drafting of Planned Development Districts and other land use legislation; zoning analyses for project financing; supervision of land use and environmental review processes (so as to preserve our clients procedural rights and guard against Court challenges); securing relief from development moratoria; preparing and presenting land use applications before Villages, Towns, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Nassau County Department of Health, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, the Nassau and Suffolk County Planning Commissions, the Central Pine Barrens Commission, and other municipal and regulatory agencies; and preparing easements, covenants, and other real property instruments. In addition, our land use attorneys have many years of litigation experience asserting, protecting, and vindicating our clients rights, at both the trial and appellate levels, in the New York State and Federal Courts.

Our litigation practice encompasses a wide variety of CPLR Article 78 proceedings; declaratory judgment and injunction actions; and actions for damages pursuant to common law, the New York and Federal Constitutions, and New York and Federal civil rights statutes (including 42 U.S.C. Section 1983). Our land use/zoning attorneys are fully-versed in all facets of land use and real property litigation, including, but not limited to, challenging improper zoning changes and denials of land use applications; compelling municipalities to review and process land use applications; defending land use approvals against attacks by neighbors and opposition groups; enforcing and defending against easement and covenant claims; resolving adverse possession, land title, land contract, and landlord/tenant disputes; and enforcing and preserving our clients rights under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (“SEQRA”).